Fire Bad, Tree Pretty
by Angelus1
Summary: The Cohens leave Seth and Ryan home alone for the weekend. Alcoholrelated craziness ensues when they invite the girls over. Will get a bit more serious later on, but for now a light, fun, 'shippery piece. SS, minor RM.
1. Beer Good

Title: Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (1/15: Beer Good)  
  
Author: Angelus  
  
E-mail: angelus1317@hotmail.com (Please put "Fire Bad, Tree Pretty" on the subject line.)  
  
Subject: The O.C.  
  
Category: SSR  
  
Rating: PG-13 for some language, alcohol usage, and mild sexuality.  
  
Summary: The Cohens leave Seth and Ryan home alone for the weekend. Alcohol-related craziness ensues when they invite the girls over. Will get a bit more serious later on, but for now a light, fun, 'shippery piece. SS, minor RM.  
  
Spoilers: "The Countdown", I guess; just the introduction of Hailey, because she'll be around in a later chapter.  
  
Archive: Anywhere, just ask me first.  
  
Disclaimer: Seth, Summer, Anna, Ryan, Marissa, Sandy, Kirsten, Hailey, etc. are all property of Fox television, College Hill Pictures, Josh Schwartz, etc. Sadly, the only thing benefitting from this is my brain in creating more Adam Brody fantasies.  
  
Author's notes: I've never actually been drunk, and none of my friends really drink, so forgive me if I've portrayed this all wrong. It's really only meant to be a funny, light piece for now.  
  
Dedication: To Oliver, for Theaterfest fun and his clipple.  
  
~*~  
  
Alcohol was a very, very good thing, Seth Cohen had decided. For the first sixteen years of his life, he had had no more than the occasional glass of champagne at family functions. Which, living in Orange County, was saying something. Right now, however, he was making up for lost time.  
  
He still wasn't sure how he and Ryan had convinced his parents to go away on vacation and leave them at home alone. The boys had been extra kind and responsible and considerate for close to a month. Finally, the Cohens had decided that it was safe to go without leaving Rosa to stay with them, as they knew Hailey hardly qualified as supervision. The decision had been made with great reluctance, and they had almost changed their minds several times. Bottom line, however? They were gone. And the second they had left, Seth and Ryan had wasted no time getting their hands on some beer and inviting the girls over for the weekend. Technically, inviting only two people over wasn't really a party, so technically, they weren't really breaking the rules. The beer was harder to rationalize, but it was well worth the risk. And after sixteen years of playing the perfect child, Seth had decided that it was due time for a little teenage rebellion. And Ryan...well, Ryan didn't really need much encouragement when it came to teenage rebellion.  
  
So yes, alcohol was good. Mainly in the sense that the drinking of it had led to Summer laying on top of him like she was doing right now. He and Ryan were sitting on the couch, Summer sprawled out across their laps, sleeping. Seth had had about three beers over the past few hours. He was buzzed, teetering on the edge of drunk. Ryan was in about the same state, although he had had several more beers than Seth had - growing up in Chino had taught him to hold his alcohol well. You would have thought that being raised on Newport Beach bashes would have done the same thing, but Marissa and Summer were completely sloshed. Marissa, who sat in a nearby chair, was currently passed out, coming in and out of unconsciousness to ramble a bit of nonsense, then promptly pass out again. Summer, meanwhile, had been drunkenly pawing at Seth for the past few hours. Sloppy kisses, rough groping...he was in heaven. Across from him, Marissa's head lolled back, and her eyes fluttered open, taking a few seconds to focus on Ryan.  
  
"Hey, baby," she purred, reaching out her hand. Ryan took it, kissing the back of it, almost asleep himself. Summer snuggled her face further into Seth's thigh. It was...nice. It had been awhile since the four of them had just hung out like this. It was...nice. *He* was nice. And happy. And, apparently, drunk. And tired. Out of the corner of his eyes, Seth saw Ryan's head begin to droop as well, and within minutes, all four of them were once again asleep. Just as he was drifting off, Seth smiled to himself. Alcohol was good. 


	2. But Why Is The Rum Gone?

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (2/15: But Why Is The Rum Gone?!)  
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com  
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.  
  
~*~  
  
Seth wasn't sure how Summer and Marissa had managed to find his old board games. He was more impressed by the fact that they had been able to make it up the stairs unaided, much less that they had made it back down with Candyland, Monopoly, and Twister in hand. Not that he would have been able to do much better at this point - Seth was limiting his intake, but he was still growing more and more uncoordinated by the minute.  
  
Monopoly had been a bust - all four of them were much too drunk for the math-oriented game. So, it had been onto Candyland. And, seeing as though the game had been designed for five-year-olds, it was much more suitable to their current mental state.  
  
"Move forward one green space," Marissa instructed Ryan, then proceeded to move his piece for him. Beside Seth, Summer giggled. She'd been doing that every few seconds, but nobody cared enough to tell her to stop.   
  
Summer kicked Ryan in the shin. "Hey!" she said loudly. "It's *your* turn!"  
  
"Owww!" he complained. "No, it's not. I just went."  
  
"Fine," she pouted. "Then *I'll* go." She picked a card from the top of the stack and help it up for the rest of them to see. Move ahead two purple spaces. So she did.  
  
"Summer, you *won*!" Marissa exclaimed.  
  
"I did?" Summer frowned, as if this was a difficult concept to understand. She leaned forward to inspect the board, her eyes narrowing in concentration. Satisfied, she sat back up to let out a little cheer, throwing her hands in the air. A little *too* enthusiastically, however, because she ended up falling over backwards. While she flailed around on the floor, Ryan and Marissa collapsed against each other in hysterics. Summer started giggling, too, but by now Seth had had quite enough of it. Leaning over her, he was fully prepared to tell her to shut the hell up. At the last minute, however, Ryan shoved him with his foot, sending him toppling onto Summer and the other two laughing even harder.  
  
"Shit," he muttered, struggling to get up. Summer was having none of that, though. Yanking at the front of his shirt, she tugged him down so that he was lying completely on top of her.  
  
"What's your favorite candy?" she asked, as if this were the most natural position to be having a conversation in.  
  
"M&M's," Ryan answered. "They melt in your mouth, not in your hand."  
  
"No, Pop Rocks!" Marissa chimed in. "'Cuz it's like an explosion in your mouth!"  
  
"Shhh," Summer complained. "I asked Seth. Seth, what's your favorite candy?" Seth blinked slowly, his beer-addled brain struggling to process the question. Before he could even open his mouth, however, she butted in with: "My favorite's a Tootsie Pop. 'Cuz everyone wants to know how many licks it takes to get to the center." And with that, she licked him from the hollow of throat up to the tip of his ear. Groaning, Seth settled himself more firmly on top of her and ran a hand from her hip up to her lace-covered breast, massaging it gently. They stared at each other as he did this, eyes wide and uncomprehending.  
  
"Guys," Marissa complained. "Come on, let's do something else." It was a full minute, however, until Seth rolled off of Summer and sat up.  
  
"What do you want to do?" he asked. Ryan held up the Twister box.  
  
"Yeah!" Summer shouted. She and Marissa leapt to their feet and began setting up. In their state, it took them considerably longer than it should have, but once it was done, they eagerly threw Ryan the spinner as Seth plopped down on the couch next to him. While the girls turned silly and giggly when they were drunk, he and Ryan just plugged along like they were stoned. Regardless, he grabbed them all another beer.  
  
Ryan flicked the little plastic pointer with his finger. Peering over his shoulder, Seth called:  
  
"Left foot blue." Ryan passed the cardboard square, and Seth spun.  
  
"Right hand green," Ryan announced. Both girls complied. As they did, however, they were forced to bend over, giving Seth and Ryan an excellent view down the fronts of their shirts.  
  
"Aren't you guys going to play?" Marissa asked. The guys shared a look.  
  
"Uhh...no thanks," Seth said.  
  
"Right foot green." Now it was their asses in the air to admire.   
  
This was going to be a *very* fun game of Twister.  
  
~*~  
  
One hour later...  
  
~*~  
  
Left foot yellow," Ryan commanded. Marissa looked around, trying to find which dots were the yellow ones. After deciding that they would do a shot of rum each time one of the girls fell, the game had slowed. The count was up to six falls, with both Summer and Marissa tied at three apiece. The trouble was, however, that now the room was starting to spin and the colors were bleeding all together. By the time Marissa had found the yellow row, she couldn't remember which hand was her right and which hand was her left. She remembered, years ago, when their first grade teacher had taught them to hold up their thumb and index finger on both hands to see which one formed an "L". So Marissa lifted her hands. In doing this, however, she forgot that her hands were what had been holding her up. Squealing, she toppled forward into Ryan's lap, knocking over Summer as well, who landed with a thud on her butt in the center of the mat. This wasn't too bad a position, though, Marissa decided, bringing her boyfriend's face down to hers.  
  
"Gross," Summer complained from the floor. Seth slid off the couch, landing next to her on his stomach.  
  
"Gross, huh?" he teased, kissing her neck. He would have kissed her on the mouth, but his head hurt whenever he tried to lift it. So he settled for the neck and slipping a hand under her T-shirt, stroking her stomach. Summer hummed softly as his thumb dipped into her navel. On the couch, Ryan and Marissa pried themselves apart, giggling as they attempted to disentangle their limbs.  
  
"Let's do something else," Ryan suggested.  
  
"No way, man," Seth protested. "Too much beer. I can barely move."  
  
"You know what would help that?" Ryan asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"More beer." 


	3. In the Limelight

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (3/15: In The Limelight)  
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com  
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.  
  
Author's Notes: A very short chapter, not much action. Sorry about that - some things just needed to be set up. But definitely look forward to a chapter chock-full of Seth/Summery goodness coming up shortly. And thank you to jen, who reminded me in her review of Chapter 2 that I totally forgot to credit TallyMcKee's "The Freshman Woes" for the quotes when the four were discussing their favorite candy. So sorry about that! lol, and I was just bashing some other author for blatantly copying without giving credit...  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan had been right - more beer was exactly what they needed. So beer they had had, as well as margaritas from the mix Summer had filched from home. A few hours ago, Seth had been on the verge of conking. Now, he was fully energized, chasing after a squealing Marissa with a pillow in his hand.  
  
"Slow *down*," he complained, but that only seemed to make her run faster. She was heading towards the stairs. At the top, Ryan and Summer were wrestling back and forth, bopping each other with the other pillow. Marissa paused to watch them, but got distracted and ended up tripping over the bottom step.  
  
"Ha!" Seth exclaimed, and brought the pillow down to smack her on the ass.  
  
"Okay, now you're gonna get it," Marissa warned. She grabbed Seth's arm and pulled him forward, throwing him onto the stairs and sitting on top of him so that he couldn't go anywhere.  
  
"Coop!" Summer called. "Get your boyfriend offa me!" Marissa raced up the stairs, Seth close behind her, and yanked Ryan from on top of Summer, taking the pillow from him as well and using it to hit him repeatedly. Seth, who had brought the second pillow up with him, did the same to Summer.  
  
"Ow, ow, ow!" Summer complained. She tried to wrest the pillow from Seth's grip, but she just wasn't strong enough. She was fast, though; in just a few seconds, she had slipped away from him and was on her feet again.  
  
"Ha!" she cried, not realizing that she was echoing his earlier exclamation. Grabbing both pillows, she whacked all three of her friends. Ryan tried to grab her ankle, but she dodged out of the way, displaying incredible agility for someone as inebriated as she was. Seth pushed himself up from the floor and lunged at her. Squealing, Summer threw the pillows at Ryan and Marissa and ran.  
  
She had been up here before, but she couldn't remember for the life of her where the back stairs were. She rounded a corner and darted into a room, hoping to lose him. But, as luck would have it, he had seen her. Also, this was *his* room. Grabbing her by the waist, Seth carried Summer over to his bed and deposited her on it, dropping down on top of her and tackling her. As he was struggling to hold her down, his hand slipped inside her shirt and across her stomach. Summer flinched.  
  
"Ticklish," she apologized, her lime-scented breath hot and intoxicating.   
  
"You weren't ticklish there earlier," he reminded her.  
  
"Oh. Right." There was that giggle again. Seth was seriously getting tired of it. So he shut her up the only way he knew how.  
  
He kissed her. And it was wet and sloppy and awkward but that didn't really matter because he was kissing her. When she drew back, he buried his face in her neck, yawning.  
  
"Sleepy," he murmured, hanging onto her like she was a teddy bear. Just then, Ryan and Marissa came stumbling in, expressing similar thoughts. The pair collapsed, exhausted, on the floor. In not even five minutes, all four teens were out cold. 


	4. It's Aliiive!

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (4/15: It's Aliiiive!)  
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com  
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.  
  
Author's Notes: Short again, but much more happening. This story will pick up the pace soon, I promise. Hold out for chapter seven - that's when the real action starts. But until then, more drunken adventures to come.  
  
~*~  
  
Seth was incredibly disappointed when he woke up alone. A quick glance at his clock showed that he had only been asleep for about two hours, yet Summer was still gone. He climbed out of bed, wobbling slightly. Yep - still drunk. He picked his way around Ryan and Marissa and headed downstairs.  
  
There she was, in the kitchen. And...was she wearing his robe? Summer turned around as she heard him enter. Why, yes indeed. And little else under it.  
  
"Whatcha doin'?" Seth asked. Summer handed him a Jell-O shot in response, one of a few that Ryan had started making before the impromptu pillow fight had started. Seth looked at it. It was blue and squirmy and...not something he felt like drinking. But she was watching him expectantly, so he plugged his nose and threw it back. When he had safely swallowed, he grimaced. "That's nasty," he complained. Summer broke out in a grin.  
  
"I know," she said. He leaned back against the island and held out his arms, gesturing at her. She snuggled up against him, sighing as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned back to look at him.  
  
"Are you still drunk?" she asked. He nodded. "Me, too." He peered at her intently, and it was as if those were the magic words, because that was when their lips met.  
  
Seth wasn't stupid. Even intoxicated, he knew what Summer's question meant. It meant that being drunk was a shield for her to hide behind. It meant that tomorrow, she could pretend that this had meant nothing, if she even remembered it at all. Hell, he might not even remember. But that was okay with him. If it meant that he got to be with her, even for such a short time, it was time well spent and well worth it.  
  
Her kisses were insistent, yet not as careless as before. They quickly slowed, however, as Seth slid his hands inside the robe she had "borrowed". Skin - lots of it. His fingers roved freely, only to discover that she wore only underwear under the robe. Seth groaned. Was she trying to drive him crazy on purpose? He laughed inwardly then at the ridiculousness of that question. This was Summer Roberts they were talking about here. Of *course* she was doing it on purpose!  
  
Summer nipped playfully at Seth's lips, and he jabbed his tongue into her mouth, dragging her forward. He felt like he would never get enough of her. His mind was spinning and his heart was racing and he wasn't sure whether it was from the alcohol or her. Not that it mattered. He was still kissing her. Well, for a few more seconds at least, because all of the sudden, she pulled away as if she had been burnt.  
  
"Wha - what's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Upstairs," she commanded. Never one to resist Summer Roberts, Seth let her lead him back up to his bedroom. As soon as they were in his bed, she began kissing him in earnest once again. Their hands got even more adventurous, and Seth's fingers were at the knot of her robe when they heard Ryan let out a snort from the floor.  
  
"Yeah, as drunk as I am, I'm not doing this with them there," Seth declared. Summer nodded, her eyes drooping closed. She continued to kiss him, even as she was falling asleep, and he kissed her right back. When he felt her lips still, he sighed. If only he never had to move from this position ever again. 


	5. Black Like My Mood

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (5/15: Black. Like My Mood.)  
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com  
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.  
  
~*~  
  
She was in someone else's bed, and she knew just from the feeling of it that it wasn't the extra twin at Marissa's. Summer groaned. It had been a very long time since she had had a drunken one-night stand, and she wasn't too keen on starting that back up. Groaning again, she rolled over to face the guy lying next to her.  
  
Shit. Summer's eyes widened. She was sleeping next to Seth Cohen - there was no mistaking that white-boy 'fro. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Slowly, the events of last night began to come back to her. Twister. Pillow fights. Lots and *lots* of beer. Chino and Coop. Jell-O shots. Kissing Cohen.  
  
Shit. She was positive they had kissed, but what else had happened? Summer looked down. Seth was fully clothed, but she only had a robe on over her underwear. *His* robe.  
  
Shit. It couldn't have gone beyond that, right? He was Seth. He wouldn't have...She wouldn't have...He was waking up.  
  
Shit. As a yawn rumbled through his throat, Seth rolled over.  
  
"Hi," he mumbled, burying his face in her neck. Summer tensed up.  
  
"Umm, Cohen..." At the sound of her voice, Seth pulled back. He must not have realized it was her. He blinked, registering the fact that she was in his bed on a Saturday morning.  
  
"Umm...hi?" He pulled away slightly, and Summer could see the lightbulb go off over his head as he began piecing together what had happened. "Parents gone," he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. "Beer. Ryan and Marissa. And you..." He moved his hand so that he could look at her. "You..." he repeated. "We..."  
  
"We got drunk," Summer finished for him. No way was she going to have this conversation with him; she wasn't even ready to have it with herself yet.   
  
"Right," he murmured. "We got drunk." Seth ran his tongue along the edge of his teeth, and Summer could tell that he wanted to say something else. But apparently he thought better of it, because he shook his head to himself and sat up.  
  
*Bad* idea. He had been fine laying down, but the second he had sat up, his head had begun to pound uncontrollably. Seth silently cursed himself. *This* was why he didn't drink himself into a stupor very often. And he hadn't even done that last night - it was just that his body wasn't used to any alcohol at all, let alone four beers, six shots of rum, and a Jell-O shot. "Damn," he muttered. He glanced over at Summer.  
  
"Hangover?" she asked sympathetically, pushing herself up to sit next to him. He glared at her.  
  
"Why didn't you get one?" he asked hatefully. Summer chuckled.  
  
"Oh, I've got one," she assured him. "I had just as much if not more to drink than you did, and I'm smaller. But I'm also used to it by now." Seth groaned. "Think you can manage to haul your ass out of bed?" Summer asked. "There's Advil and coffee downstairs."  
  
"No," Seth declared, pouting like a two-year-old.  
  
"Cohen..." Summer warned.  
  
"You first." Rolling her eyes, Summer crawled over him, which she suspected was the point all along, and stood. Her feet his the floor with a thud and she winced, massaging her temples.  
  
"Getting worse," she murmured. "That make you feel any better?"  
  
"No."  
  
"That must've been your first word."  
  
"No." Seth gave Summer puppy-dog eyes, which would have been much more convincing if his eyes weren't quite so red and bloodshot. But still, Summer took his hand and dragged him to his feet. Together, they stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. Ryan and Marissa were already sitting at the table, cradling steaming cups of black coffee in their hands. Ryan managed a wave, but Marissa had her head down on her arms.  
  
"I hate you all," Seth mumbled.  
  
"Shhh!" Marissa complained. Ryan patted her on the back sympathetically while Seth poured a cup of coffee for himself and for Summer. They leaned side-by-side on the island and sipped. When he was halfway finished, he moved over to the window above the kitchen sink, peering through the blinds. As he did so, the sun slipped through the cracks and directly into both his eyes and Summer's.  
  
"Too bright!" she complained, and he closed them again. As he slurped down the rest of his coffee, Ryan, the only reasonably sober one of them, snagged a water bottle from the refrigerator and a bottle of Asprin from the counter, passing them around. Summer took two, Seth took four, and Ryan practically had to force-feed Marissa two of her own.  
  
"Remind me never to drink again," Seth complained.   
  
"You know what they say the best cure for a hangover is?" Ryan piped up.  
  
"You're about to tell me, and I guarantee from the tone of your voice that it's nothing I want to hear right now."  
  
"More alcohol." Seth looked at him in disbelief, then over to Summer, who was smirking at him.  
  
"Ahh!" he shouted. "No! You are all evil!" With that, he disappeared out the sliding glass doors onto the patio.  
  
"Shut *up*!" Marissa complained.  
  
~*~  
  
An hour and a half later, Seth was the only one still nursing a monster headache. Ryan, with the highest alcohol tolerance out of any of them, had barely had a hangover at all to begin with, and Summer's minor one had worn off quickly. Marissa always got *horrible* hangovers, no matter how much or how little she had to drink. On the plus side, however, she had learned how to combat them long ago. After Ryan had made her take the Advil, she had downed the rest of the bottled water, plus two more bottles, then had ventured out to the poolhouse, where she had slept for about an hour, and had woken up rested and refreshed. She and Summer were lounging in the Cohen's living room painting their toenails, while Ryan and Seth were upstairs playing video games, which Seth was convinced would help take his mind off of the pain. Summer just thought he was being a little boy. Marissa didn't particularly care - she was much more interested in the dish from last night.  
  
"What do you remember?" she asked eagerly. Summer groaned.  
  
"Would you let it *go* already?" she complained, a little sick of Marissa's bubbliness. Her best friend laughed.  
  
"Not a chance," she countered. "So, it took you...what? A month before you admitted that you liked him in the first place? Now how long is it gonna take you to get over yourself and under him?"  
  
"Coop!" Summer exclaimed. Marissa collapsed in a fit of giggles as Summer bopped her on the head with a nearby pillow. "Just because you've gotten laid more times in the past week than I have in the past two months doesn't mean you get to get all preachy with me."  
  
"Just because you've spent your time moping over Seth Cohen instead of getting laid doesn't give *you* the right to get all self-deprecating with me," Marissa countered. Summer stuck her tongue out.   
  
"Nothing happened," she informed. Marissa raised a single eyebrow; or tried. Summer was the only person she knew who could do it convincingly. But it got across the effect she intended.  
  
"If I seem to recall correctly," she began, "you woke up this morning, practically naked, in Seth's bed, wearing his clothes." Summer glanced down at her now-covered legs, her cheeks burning. Damn her. "Come on," Marissa begged. "What happened?" Summer glared.  
  
"We kissed," she admitted. "I think." Marissa squealed happily, and Summer rolled her eyes. "God, you are such a cheerleader," she muttered. She was all for dishing about her love life, but Marissa never knew when to leave it alone - like now. Seth Cohen was...well, Seth Cohen. She no longer felt the same about him as she used to, she would give him that. But it was the fact that she didn't know what she felt that bothered her. Summer had always prided herself in being completely in control of her emotions. What did it say about her that Cohen was the one to make her lose her shit?  
  
"Dammit," she muttered. Beside her, Marissa smirked. "Oh, don't give me that," Summer snarked. She stood, heading towards the stairs. "Let's go bother the boys," she said.  
  
~*~  
  
"Dude, this is *sad*," Ryan informed Seth. Seth groaned, for about the twenty millionth time that hour, as he flopped backwards onto the bed. The movement must have been too sudden for him, though, because he groaned again. Ryan tuned his attention back to the television screen. It displayed his score versus Seth's - 54 to 288. And this was usually Seth's best game. "I'm telling you, man," he said. "The best way to get rid of that hangover is just to drink some more."  
  
"No."  
  
"Why are you being so stubborn?"  
  
"Because." Seth was pouting like an insolent two-year-old when Summer and Marissa entered the room. Marissa dropped down beside Ryan, while Summer hopped up next to Seth on the bed, dangling a bottle of tequila in front of his face.  
  
"Come on, lightweight," she teased. Seth only pouted again, so Summer smacked him across the chest.  
  
"Owww!" he howled. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Grow up," she instructed, popping the cork and shoving the bottle in his face. Sitting up reluctantly, he grabbed the bottle from her and took a swig. He made a face as the bitter liquid burned down his throat.  
  
"Guuh," he shuddered after swallowing. "Why the hell would anyone drink this stuff?"  
  
"Not for the taste," Marissa assured him, stealing the bottle and taking a sip herself before passing it back to Summer.  
  
"So, what are we doing tonight?" Ryan asked when the booze bottle reached him. "More Twister?" He shot Seth a look.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Seth nodded emphatically. "I'm up for Twister." Marissa and Summer eyed them suspiciously.  
  
"You didn't even play," Summer reminded them. Seth grinned.  
  
"Hey, we didn't need to - you two were having enough fun for all of us." He wiggled his eyebrows at Summer until she caught his drift. Rolling her eyes, she socked him in the arm.  
  
"You guys are pigs!" she declared. Marissa frowned at her questioningly. Summer groaned inwardly. Honestly, the girl could be so naive sometimes. "They just wanted to watch us crawl all over each other," she said accusingly. Ryan and Seth shared a look consistent with guilty ten-year-olds, shrugging as they continued to grin unrepentantly. Marissa looked slightly shocked, turning to Ryan with a glare.  
  
"You've gotta be kidding me," she said. But the look in his eyes clearly said he wasn't.   
  
"That's sad," Summer chimed in. "That's the best way you know how to have fun is to watch two girls play Twister."  
  
"I didn't hear you complaining," Seth countered. Summer just smiled as the Tequila bottle found itself in her possession once again.  
  
"No," she murmured softly. "But soon, *you* will be." Seth hadn't heard her, and she hadn't meant for him to. Marissa, however, had, and the girls shared a secret look, matching sly smiles creeping across their lips. This meant war. 


	6. Syzygy

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (6/15: Syzygy)  
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com  
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.  
  
~*~  
  
It was cliche at this point - four teenagers crowded into a hot tub, girls in the skimpiest bikinis known to man, alcohol all around, parents out of town. That didn't stop them from making the most of it, however. Seth and Summer sat on one side of the tub, her feet in his lap, directly across from Ryan and Marissa, who were snuggled against each other. Ryan and Seth's faces were slightly red, and their speech was louder and less coherent than usual. Marissa and Summer, meanwhile, just couldn't stop themselves from giggling. One would assume that this was all the cause of the beer, but then one would be wrong. Well, half wrong, at least. Ryan and Seth were, indeed, drunk, and heading towards plastered with each passing second. Summer and Marissa, however, were perfectly sober.   
  
They had concocted this scheme this morning, claiming that they needed some 'girl time'. They guys, oblivious to all, had nodded complacently, continuing to pass the Tequila back and forth as they returned to their video game. Down in the kitchen, Marissa and Summer had schemed and plotted and had come up with the ultimate revenge. That would come into play later this evening. For now, however, they were concerned with getting the boys completely smashed - even more so than last night. They had divided the beer in the fridge in half - a case for them and a case for the boys. Their case, however, they had opened and poured down the drain of the Cohen's sink, then had proceeded to refill every bottle with apple juice they had found in the freezer. It was a true sign of the fact that they had both grown up with money coming out of their asses that they were willing to waste that much beer. But, this *was* Newport, and people around here had definitely wasted their money on crazier things. It was also a truly an ingenious plan, if they did say so themselves. They giggled and tripped over their words and drank bottle after bottle and Seth and Ryan thought they were just as drunk as they were. It wasn't even that hard to keep up the act - just the thought of what they had in store for later, and the realization that they were truly going to get away with it, had them on a natural high, and they couldn't have stopped giggling if they had wanted to. As for Ryan and Seth...well, they were getting to the point where they wouldn't have even noticed the difference.  
  
"We're outta stuff," Ryan slurred, spinning an empty bottle on his finger. Marissa glanced around as Summer chugged the last of the lukewarm apple juice from her bottle. Sure enough, they were all empty.   
  
"What now?" Seth whined, swaying slightly to the side. God, he was already on the verge of passing out - they'd better watch him.  
  
"I think it's time for some screwdrivers," Summer suggested. "And getting out of the pool - it's getting cold."  
  
"Ryan and I will go make some," Marissa volunteered. "And we'll bring you guys your clothes and towels when we're done."  
  
"Coop, you're an angel," Summer gushed, winking as her best friend hopped out, shivering, and ran towards the house, Ryan trailing after her like an obedient puppy dog. Sure, it seemed like a sweet thing to do, but that wasn't why Marissa was offering - it was because the less guys there were in the kitchen, the less likely one of them was to realize that the girls would be having water with their orange juice instead of vodka. A light went on inside the house as Summer watched, and she began to feel a chill, so she snuggled closer to Seth.  
  
"This sucks," he complained. God, did he ever turn into a brat when he was drunk. "All we're doing is sitting and drinking. *This* is what all you 'popular people' do in your spare time?" Summer was surprised he could manage that coherent of a thought in his currently inebriated state, let alone one so on the ball. But, then again, this was Seth.  
  
"I guess so," she admitted. He looked at her, but his pupils twitched, unable to quite keep their focus.  
  
"Why?" he asked. Summer shrugged. Damn him for being so perceptive all the time.  
  
"I don't really know," she murmured. "Lack of anything better to do, I guess. It seems like a good idea at the time."  
  
"We should play more bore games," Seth suggested, letting his head drop to her shoulder. Summer grinned.  
  
"You mean board games?" she asked. He nodded several times.  
  
"Like Clue," he said. "I'm always Detective White."   
  
"Everyone's a detective," Summer pointed out. "Miss White is one of the suspects. Like Professor Plum."  
  
"Plum, plum," Seth agreed. "Or Miss Scarlet. I always thought she was hot. Because she looked like you. Only her hair was shorter." His head lolled back and his eyes drifted closed and Summer whipped her head around in surprise. How did he do that? How did he sit there and say all the right things, without even meaning to?  
  
This was *so* messed up, she thought. Yet from the moment she had agreed to stay over here this weekend, she had known that it was going to come down to this - to deciding once and for all how she felt about Seth Cohen. And now here he was, complimenting her even drunk off his ass and looking quite nice in his swimming trunks and the moon making the clear California night seem so beautiful and romantic and Summer was struck with the intense urge to kiss him. His lips looked warm and soft and inviting and he was just sitting there all innocent-looking, with his eyes closed and his fingers fidgeting and dear god what the hell was wrong with her? Summer gave her head a good shake and glanced back over at Seth, still oblivious to the one-sided argument she was having with herself. But Summer was anything if not persuasive, and within thirty seconds, she was crawling towards Seth, a predatory gleam in her eye.  
  
"Where the hell are Ryan and Marissa?" Seth muttered to himself, eyes still closed.  
  
"Shhh," Summer instructed, holding a finger to his lips. His eyes flew open as she straddled his lap, anchoring herself to him. He had a slightly panicked, deer-in-the-headlights look, and Summer smiled as she brought her lips down to his.  
  
She didn't know if Seth had ever been kissed like this before, but he was damn good at it. After a moment of initial shock, he responded, holding her face steady as his tongue probed hers. Summer felt herself melt against him and, in that instant, knew that this was right. The realization only made her kiss him back even more intensely, her legs tightening around his waist. If Seth had been sloppily drunk before, it had all disappeared the minute they first kissed. Or, maybe, the alcohol was just doing something else to him, because all of the sudden, he was filled with a surge of confidence, his tongue swirling with hers as if he were an expert, his hands roaming like they had never quite dared to do before. Summer liked it. She thrust against him, only to find that his lower regions were rock-hard. Oh, god. She knew she shouldn't. She *really* shouldn't. But at this moment, with his arms around her and his teeth tugging at her bottom lip, she honestly didn't know if she would be able to stop herself. She was hanging on by a thread when he ripped his mouth away from hers and traced a path down her neck with soft butterfly kisses, pausing at the junction of her neck and her collarbone to sip lightly. In that instant, Summer threw caution to the wind. She wanted this. Her hands skimmed across his chest, flicking lightly against his hardened nipples, then roaming lower, to trace the waistband of his swimsuit.  
  
"Summer!" Marissa called sharply. Summer ripped herself away from Seth immediately to see her best friend standing on the deck of the hot tub, dangling clothes and two towels in her hands, an unreadable expression on her face. Sheepishly, she climbed out, not looking back at Seth. The fact that she had been so ready and willing scared her. Contrary to popular belief, Summer was far from being a whore - it generally took quite alot to convince her that it would be worth it to sleep with someone. Yet here she was, come undone from nothing but a simple kiss. It meant something, the fact that Seth Cohen was the one that could make her feel this way, but she wasn't sure yet what.  
  
Summer heard him step out of the pool behind her. Without a word, they dried themselves off and pulled clothes on over their suits as Marissa strode back across the lawn to the main house, all the while standing back to back. When she was all done, Summer turned around slowly, pushing the hair out of her eyes, and snuck a peek at Seth. He was just standing there, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other and fidgeting incessantly. She sent him a tentative smile.  
  
Seth stopped fidgeting. 


	7. Caramel

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (7/15: Caramel)  
  
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com  
  
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.  
  
Author's Notes: To clear up some timeline issues: Ryan and Marissa are an established couple. Seth and Summer kissed by the pool and on the boat, but Seth and Anna are just friends. She has made no secret of the fact that she likes Seth, however, and don't worry - she'll be around in the last few chapters, playing a small but pivotal role.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan and Seth were halfway through their third bottles of Bicardi Silver when Marissa and Summer suggested Truth or Dare. By this point, they had given up the pretense of pretending to drink, but Ryan and Seth were so hammered that they barely even noticed. The four were spread out on Sandy and Kirsten's massive king-sized bed - they had discovered earlier just how uncomfortable it was trying to squeeze all four of them into Seth's twin-sized one. Ryan and Marissa were sitting up and leaning against the headboard, holding hands. Ryan was definitely beyond drunk, but it had taken quite alot of alcohol to get him that way. Seth, lying on top of Summer with his head pressed to her stomach, was at about the same level of intoxication, but the girls had had to take it easy on him, knowing what a low tolerance he had, so a few of his screwdrivers had been of the water-only variety. Summer and Marissa were excited, knowing that the final phase of their scheme was going to come into play soon.  
  
"Truth," Ryan was saying to Seth. Seth tapped at his lower lip, thinking.  
  
"You think Julie Cooper's hot, don't you?" he asked, after much consideration. Ryan groaned, dropping his head to Marissa's shoulder.  
  
"Ewww!" she and Summer exclaimed at the same time, eyes traveling expectantly to Ryan. He lifted his head.  
  
"No!" he exclaimed. Seth wagged a finger at him.  
  
"Truth," he reminded. "Don't lie." Ryan sighed.  
  
"Fine," he muttered. "She's hot." Marissa looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"Why the hell did you never tell me this?!" she exclaimed. The second she let the question out, she realized just how stupid a question it was. Still, watching Ryan struggle for an answer was downright hilarious. As if it wouldn't be hard enough any other time, the fact that he was totally shit-faced didn't help the situation at all. He raised his head, opened and closed his mouth a few times, then collapsed back against Marissa, defeated. She and Summer giggled.  
  
"Turn?" Ryan asked, and they translated that to him asking whose turn it was. Seth poked Summer in the thigh several times. She sat up to face Marissa. They had been so focused on their ultimate goal that they hadn't truly realized to what extent they could take advantage of them in this state.  
  
"Truth, Ryan?" she asked innocently. Ryan nodded against Marissa's neck, not even bothering to look up. "How many girls have you had slept with?" she asked, beaming, obviously very proud of herself.  
  
"Summer!" Marissa exclaimed. "I don't wanna know that!"  
  
"Oh, relax, Coop," she said, waving her best friend off as she watched Ryan intently. He was trying to count on his fingers, and in his drunken state, it wasn't working very well. He muttered to himself, put fingers up and down, and started over several times before giving up.  
  
"Stop pickin' on me," he complained. Summer grinned.  
  
"I'd say that's about as much of an answer as we need," she said. Marissa rolled her eyes.  
  
"Should we ask Seth?" she suggested. The girls looked at one another briefly before snorting with laughter. Even Ryan joined in, glad to have the focus off of himself.  
  
"Hey!" Seth protested, raising one hand in the air, which he proceeded to flail about wildly before letting it drop back onto his chest.  
  
"Allright, why don't we let you do a truth, then?" Summer said. She and Marissa were silent for a moment in thought, before Marissa began bouncing up and down.  
  
"Ooh, I got it!" she exclaimed. "What was your invisible friend's name in second grade?" she asked. Summer let out a peal of laughter.  
  
"Oh, I had almost forgotten about that!" she squealed. "He used to sit in the corner and talk to him during recess!" She turned curiously to Seth. "What *was* his name?" she asked.  
  
"Mister Giggles," Seth informed. "'N he wasn't 'maginary. 'nvisible." This just set Summer and Marissa off again, however, and by the time they had gotten ahold of themselves, Seth looked like he was about to pass out. Summer leaned down over him, her lips positioned at his ear.  
  
"Hey," she murmured, licking and kissing and nibbling at his earlobe. "Stay awake." Seth groaned, pawing blindly at her. With a grin, Summer sat back up.  
  
"Your turn, Coop," she said mischievously as her best friend watched her curiously. Marissa wasn't dumb - she knew there was something going on between her and Seth. Later, she would ask. Now, however, they had other things in mind.  
  
"Allright, Summer," Marissa said. "Truth or Dare?"  
  
"Dare!" Ryan shouted, and the girls shared a grin. The boys had been helping them every step of the way without even noticing it.  
  
"Dare," Summer agreed. Marissa thought quickly.  
  
"Flash us," she said. Both of the boys immediately sat up, albeit with some difficulty, eager at the chance to see boobs. For the sake of the game, Summer pretended to be slightly apprehensive. In reality, though, she didn't care. Marissa was a girl, so it was no big deal, and Seth had seen her shirtless a few years ago, when her bikini top had come off in the ocean at a beach party he happened to be at. Really, Ryan was the only one seeing anything new, and it wasn't like he hadn't seen quite enough girls' breasts. Summer pulled up her tank top and her bra for a few seconds, rolling her eyes as the guys practically salivated anyway. So predictable. Covering herself once again, she jumped right back into the game, ready for the big moment.  
  
"Ryan," she chose. "Truth or Dare?"  
  
"Truth," he mumbled. Marissa poked him.  
  
"Come on, Truth is getting boring," she goaded. "And Summer just did a dare..."  
  
"Fine." The girls shared devious grins.  
  
"I dare you," Summer announced, "to kiss Ryan." Seth looked over to his friend in disgust.  
  
"No," he said simply.  
  
"You have to," Marissa said, as if she were the queen of logic. "It's a dare."  
  
"But...ewww!" Ryan complained, not even realizing he had just lost major cool points for the use of Summer's infamous exclamation.  
  
"You first!" Seth proclaimed.  
  
Summer and Marissa shared a look. They hadn't expected them to make this request, but actually, it wasn't that big a deal to them. Back in high school, this had always been *the* dare for sleepovers or drinking games. Actually, Marissa had kissed Summer before she had kissed Luke.   
  
"Okay, here are the rules," Summer said, taking charge as usual. "Five seconds, with tongue. Got it?" Both boys nodded slowly, transfixed. Rolling her eyes, Marissa leaned in and kissed Summer.  
  
It had been awhile - after constantly daring each other to do the same thing, the novelty of it all eventually wore off. So it had probably been a good four years since they had done this. The first thing she noticed was that Summer's lips felt nothing like Ryan's. They were small and soft and distinctly feminine. Her tongue was smaller as well, and not quite as hot, and didn't taste like toothpaste and oranges and the barest hint of tobacco. She wasn't a bad kisser, though, and Marissa almost found herself enjoying it. But the bottom line? She was in love with Ryan. And Summer wasn't Ryan. But that didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy it while it lasted. That was what Marissa had always liked about being a girl - that girls were so open about showing affection towards one another. Marissa was a phyisical person that way. She liked to show people she cared by hugging them or holding their hand. This was just a step further. Girls understood things like this.  
  
Boys, on the other hand...  
  
Marissa pulled away from Summer and turned to the two in front of her. "Your turn," she announced sunnily. Seth and Ryan regarded one another with apprehension. Boys were just not equipped to be physically affectionate with one another. But, a dare was a dare, after all. Summer and Marissa grinned and continued to watch. Only in their completely intoxicated state would they agree to this. And that was what they had been planning on all along.  
  
"Go ahead," Summer urged.  
  
Seth was having a serious panic moment. He didn't have very much kissing experience to begin with, seeing as how Summer was the only girl he'd ever kissed, and only a few times at that. And now, he was going to use what little experience he had to make out with his best friend? Something was seriously wrong with this picture. But Seth's barely-functioning brain was having a hard time grasping just what was so wrong with it right at this moment because Ryan, seemingly having no problems with this, was leaning forward, coming closer inch by inch and Seth could smell his breath and feel it against his mouth and then all of the sudden he was kissing him.  
  
Kissing Ryan wasn't like kissing Summer. Summer was forceful, demanding. He had assumed Ryan would be the same way, but here he was, with his hand on the back of Seth's head, fingers twisting in the curls at the base of his neck, tongue gently probing the seam of the other boy's lips, prying them apart effortlessly. Seth's head was spinning and his blood was rushing in all different directions and dear god help him but Ryan tasted so damn good. He tasted like caramel - warm and sweet and dark and gooey. And he wasn't quite sure how a kiss could taste gooey, but it did. It was gooey and sticky. That must have been it. What other excuse was there for the fact that he just couldn't seem to drag his lips away from Ryan's?  
  
Ryan had kissed lots of people in his lifetime. He couldn't even narrow it down to that he'd kissed alot of girls, because there had been several guys as well. Back in Chino, where sex was a cheap and necessary diversion from the fact that life was going nowhere fast, threesomes had been a regular occurence. So, yes, Ryan had kissed plenty of men. Boys, really, because none of them had truly been men at that age. Hell, he didn't even know if he was a man now. All he knew was that the feeling of Seth's lips on his was not one he wanted to get away from any time soon.  
  
He was like a drug. Which was really not cool because Ryan knew better than anybody how little action Seth had gotten in his life, and the fact that someone so inexperienced could taste and feel that good was....well, just not cool. Ryan hadn't been able to get it right his first time - there had been accidental biting and a whole lot of saliva and he had been embarrassed as hell, but Seth just seemed like a natural at all this. His lips were soft, his tongue was moving in just the right direction, and Ryan wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not, but he would have sworn that he felt him scoot a little bit closer to him. That was definetely his hand on his arm, though. Ryan groaned softly.  
  
Summer jabbed Marissa in the side with her elbow, her eyes not leaving the two boys in front of them.  
  
"How long has it been?" she asked softly. She saw Marissa shrug out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"I don't know," she whispered. The pair watched, transfixed.  
  
"Damn," Summer muttered. "That's *hot*." Marissa nodded in agreement. Another moment of silence passed between the two as Ryan and Seth continued to kiss. All of the sudden, Summer seemed to snap out of it, remembering the reason there were two boys sitting across from her making out like there was no tomorrow. From the top drawer of the dresser next to the bed, she pulled out the camera she and Marissa had planted there earlier this morning. Aiming carefully, so that she was sure to get the best view, Summer snapped off several pictures in succession.  
  
Seth was actually enjoying this. Ryan felt solid and firm against him and his hand was now at his cheek, holding his face still as his tongue explored his mouth. It felt *good*. Good in a way that Seth never wanted it to end. All of the sudden, however, he felt as if he were being bathed in light. He drew back away from Ryan in shock and the other boy blinked slowly as Seth turned his gaze to Summer and Marissa, sitting innocently side-by-side and watching them.  
  
Summer's heart was pounding. They had gotten away with it. They had really and truly done it. The camera was tucked safely beneath the pillows on the bed, the pictures imprinted forever on the film. This would teach boys to play dirty.  
  
"Was goin on?" Ryan murmured, swaying from side to side. Seth was staring intently at Summer.  
  
"Who turned out the light?" he asked. "On. Who turned it on? Make it go 'way." He was referring to the flash of the camera that had brought them out of their trance. Marissa looked over.  
  
"Distract him," she instructed. Summer didn't need any encouraging. The sight of Seth and Ryan kissing had her hornier than she had ever been. While Marissa snuggled up to Ryan, she shoved Seth's shoulder, so that he went tumbling backwards, ending up sprawled on the bed, a startled, deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes. Summer grinned. She straddled his hips, then bent down to smash her lips to his. She kissed him and kissed him and kissed him and he kissed her right back, but she couldn't get enough of him. She wanted him, badly. Then fact that she was admitting it said alot. But, for what seemed like the millionth time this weekend, Summer restrained herself. This was neither the time nor the place. Smiling down at Seth, she kissed him once again, long and soft and slow.  
  
"Soon," she promised, before laying her head down on his chest and closing her eyes. 


	8. Like Waves

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (8/15: Like Waves)  
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com  
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.  
  
Author's Notes: Now, we all know that Sandy and Kirsten love Ryan and would never throw him out. I just wanted to make it clear that that's not at all true, it's just Ryan's paranoia.  
  
~*~  
  
Seth woke to the feeling of warm lips against his skin, right at that special spot behind his ear. He moaned, and moved a fraction of an inch closer.  
  
Bad idea.  
  
His head throbbed. His mouth felt like cotton. His ears were ringing. He couldn't even open his eyes.  
  
"Time to get up," Summer sing-songed into his ear. If he had had the energy to move or speak, he would have shoved her and told her to buzz off. But, seeing as how he could manage neither, he settled for a caveman grunt. Summer giggled, and the sound was like a jackhammer against his skull. A jackhammer to add to the three that were there already, keeping time with the bass drum and sledgehammer that were up there as well. Although he had never experienced anything like this before, Seth didn't need to be told that he was hung over. Damn. This was freaking obnoxious. Why the hell did people go out and get drunk if they knew that they only had this to look forward to in the morning?  
  
"Here," Summer was saying, holding something under his nose for inspection. He was able to crack open one eyelid and see a handful of pills. Without waiting for a response of any kind, Summer shoved them into his mouth. It took the last of Seth's energy to concentrate on swallowing them without choking or throwing up before he promptly passed out again.  
  
~*~  
  
When Seth woke up again, he had no idea how long he had been out. He felt significantly better than before, but his head was still throbbing and his muscles were sore and he felt quite groggy. Sitting up didn't do much to help that - it only made him dizzy. Looking around the room, he found it empty. Ryan must have woken up and gone downstairs already. Seth was happy to find that he could stand up and walk, unlike yesterday morning. By the time he got downstairs, however, he was tripping over his own two feet and his ears were ringing and his head was throbbing again. He stumbled around the downstairs searching for his friends, but to no avail. When he had checked the last room, he headed out to the poolhouse.  
  
There they were, laying on Ryan's bed. Marissa was propped up against the headboard, with Ryan's head in her lap. Her fingers stroked his neck and played with his hair and she murmured soothing words down to him. Ryan looked like shit, Seth noticed. Then again, so did he. Summer was laying across the foot of the bed reading a magazine, and he made a beeline for her. She dropped the magazine to the ground and pressed a soft kiss to his temple.  
  
"Hey," she said softly. "Feeling better?"  
  
"Better," Seth grunted as he spooned against her, pressing the entire length of his body against her backside. "Not good. What the hell did you give me?"  
  
"*Really* strong painkillers," Summer answered. "They knock you out for a few solid hours." Seth groaned again.  
  
"I'm never drinking alcohol again," he declared. Summer chuckled, shifting closer to him.  
  
"So," he began. "What happened last night?"  
  
~*~  
  
Seth, Summer, Ryan, and Marissa hung out in the poolhouse most of the day. The girls had already packed and cleaned up all the evidence this morning, as the Cohens would be home at around six. It was nearing four now, and the boys were just starting to perk up again.  
  
"I hate you," Ryan was muttering to Marissa.  
  
"Why?" she asked, confused. He glared at her.  
  
"Why aren't you hung over like the rest of us?" he countered. Summer let loose an involuntary snort of laughter, and Marissa glared warningly. Ryan looked over at Summer, only now realizing that she wasn't hung over, either. He caught Seth's eye only to see that the other boy had been thinking along the exact same lines.   
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Seth asked, eyeing the girls suspiciously.  
  
"That's exactly what I'd like to know," came a voice from the door. All four teens looked up to see Hailey standing in the doorway.  
  
"Busted," Seth muttered. Hailey's eyes scanned the room, picking up the telltale details that only a twenty-five-year-old that still hadn't grown out of her rebellious teen phase would know to look for: Seth and Ryan's bloodshot eyes, Summer and Marissa's bags in the corner.  
  
"So, what, did you spend the whole weekend getting wasted?" Hailey asked. They all looked at one another silently, confirming her accusation. Ryan had turned white as a sheet the second she had come through the door. If she ratted them out, he was screwed. He had no doubt that Sandy and Kirsten would blame this all on him. They'd probably kick him out for good this time, too. As Hailey let them all sweat it out, he found that he was holding his breath and clenching his fists to the point where his knuckles were turning white.  
  
Hailey broke out in a grin. "Well, at least you're not hiding crack in the flowerpot, " she said airily, dropping down on the bed beside Seth and Summer, her tone indicating that she had done such before. Ryan let out the breath he had been holding, regarding her with disbelief.  
  
"So, you're not gonna tell Sandy and Kirsten?" he asked. Hailey grinned again.  
  
"Please," she said. "I've done far worse. Besides - you kids deserve a little fun now and then." Seth let go of Summer and sat up, patting Hailey on the back.  
  
"Do I not have the coolest aunt in the world?" he asked. Ryan rolled his eyes and settled his head back into Marissa's lap. There was a moment of comfortable silence before Summer climbed off the bed, gesturing at Marissa.  
  
"Come on, Coop," she said, giving the boys an apologetic smile. "We'd better get out of here in case the 'rents get back early."   
  
"No," Seth murmured, grabbing her hand. Summer smiled and kissed him sweetly on the lips.   
  
"I'll see you Monday," she said softly. Marissa nudged Ryan and he sat up slowly. He leaned over and kissed her, and she stood next to Summer.  
  
"Well," Summer said. "I guess this is it, then." The boys nodded slowly, but she wasn't even looking at Ryan - all she could see was Seth. Damn. He didn't even remember what had happened in the hot tub, but still he was looking at her like he had had the most incredible time this weekend, just because she was there. Summer felt the beginnings of tears stinging in her eyes. She was pretty sure no guy had ever looked at her like that before. And what made it even sadder was that, come Monday, they were going to pretend like it had never happened. Well, she was, at least. And Seth seemed to realize this, because he stood up so that he was directly in front of her, and, ignoring the shooting pain in his skull, took her face in both hands and kissed her properly - long and hot and hard. Summer's hands reflexively grabbed his waist, and even when he gently pried his mouth away from hers, she didn't let go, because her knees were like jelly. Damn.  
  
"Goodbye," he said softly, a gleam in his eye. Flustered, Summer took a step back, moving over to the corner to pick up her bag. As she followed Marissa out the door, she took one last glance over her shoulder to see Seth still watching her, smiling broadly.  
  
Summer smiled back. 


	9. For All It's Worth

Fire Bad, Tree Pretty (9/15: For All It's Worth)  
Angelus angelus1317@hotmail.com  
See first chapter for disclaimer, etc.  
  
~*~  
  
Seth was still in shock. He had just kissed Summer Roberts. Twice. Within the last five minutes. If he had thought that his head was spinning before, it was going at it double-time now. Strangely, though, his headache had subsided. If that wasn't a sign, he didn't know what was. For a few silent minutes, he just stared out the poolhouse door, even after he could not longer see the retreating forms of Summer and Marissa. Finally, he collapsed back onto the bed with Ryan and Hailey.  
  
"I can now die happy," he announced.   
  
"What happened to swearing off of girls?" Hailey asked. Seth grinned and shrugged, hoping she'd stop there, but Hailey shook her head.  
  
"You're not getting off that easily," she said. "I'm covering for you two - I might as well know what I'm covering you for."  
  
"Ahem," Seth began. "Well, it was your average teenagers-getting-smashed party weekend," he said. "We drank. And drank. And drank. And played Twister. And Summer made out with me in the kitchen." He grinned as Ryan shot straight up out of bed, instantly regretting the move as he cringed and brought his fingers up to rub his temples.  
  
"Damn," he muttered, then turned back to Seth. "When the hell did that happen?" he asked. "You never told me!"  
  
"Friday night," Seth answered, still smiling. "Middle of the night, we both woke up - you and Marissa were passed out cold on the floor of my room." Ryan grinned slowly, shaking his head in disbelief.  
  
"Congrats, man," he said, extending a fist for Seth to bump against his own.  
  
"So, Twister and kitchen rendezvous on Friday," Hailey piped up. "What happened yesterday?"   
  
Seth and Ryan shared a look. Each of them opened their mouth to say something, then thought better of it and closed it again. They did this several times, the blank looks on their faces clearly conveying the fact that they had absolutely no idea what had happened. Hailey laughed her ass off as the boys glared.  
  
"I'm sorry," she exclaimed. "It's just that when I was in high school and someone said that, it usually meant that someone had purposely gotten them drunk and made them do something really embarrassing."  
  
"But it was just us and the girls. What would they have done to us?"  
  
~*~  
  
There were times when Summer was glad that she had parents that could care less what she did with herself. Like this past weekend. Because if they had needed to call her for some reason at Marissa's, where she had said she was, they would have gotten an answering machine clearly stating that Julie Cooper was on business in London for the weekend, but you could reach Marissa at the Roberts' house if need be. Not that she was at all worried they would call - she and Marissa had worked out the kinks of that trick years ago.  
  
Summer flopped down dramatically onto Marissa's bed, leaving her bag in the middle of the floor. "I'm exhausted!" she exclaimed. Marissa quirked an eyebrow, shooting her best friend a half-smile.  
  
"Maybe that's from too much lip-locking with Seth." Rolling her eyes, Summer threw a pillow at Marissa.   
  
"I wasn't the only one he was lip-locking," she reminded her. Marissa snorted with laughter and dug through her bag until she found the camera.  
  
"This is going to be priceless," she said. "Come on - let's go get these developed now."  
  
~*~  
  
Ryan had always been good at lying. Lying to his mom, to his teachers, to the cops.... The ability to keep cool in any situation was one that came in handy living in Chino, where there was trouble lurking around every corner. That made lying to the Cohens a piece of cake. Seth, however, was having difficulties.  
  
"Did you two have fun this weekend?" Sandy asked. Seth nodded vigorously, then stuffed his mouth full of food so that when his father asked "Well, what did you do?" he was unable to answer. Ryan rolled his eyes at him across the dinner table and took it upon himself to answer.  
  
"Played video games and swam, mostly," he said. "We went to the Crab Shack with Summer and Marissa yesterday afternoon." Sandy gave an approving nod as he took another swig from his wineglass. Kirsten, meanwhile, turned to Hailey.  
  
"What about you?" she asked. Hailey snorted.  
  
"Please," she said. "I have better things to do with my time than spend the weekend alone with two high-school boys."  
  
"Gee, thanks, Aunt Hailey," Seth piped up. Hailey rolled her eyes. Seth stuck out his tongue. Hailey threw a roll at him, but it missed, landing instead in Sandy's lap. Sandy picked it up and threw it at Ryan, who blocked it with his spoon, sending the roll straight into the salad. Kirsten groaned.  
  
"I swear, it's like I have four children," she muttered.  
  
~*~  
  
Marissa and Summer were sitting cross-legged on the concrete sidewalk outside the 1-hour photo, take-out cartons balanced in their laps as they ate dinner while waiting for their pictures, bathed in the setting summer sun. Kids played on the beach, couples walked hand-in-hand along the shoreline, and teenagers partied. Meanwhile, people of all ages jogged, biked, or skated along the boardwalk, while vendors closed down shop for the night. Summer took it all in with a wistful smile.  
  
"I've decided that I'm never leaving California," she declared.   
  
"*Why*?" Marissa asked. "I mean, I get why, but - don't you ever get tired of it? Of all the snobby rich people who only care about themselves?"  
  
"Like us, you mean?" Summer asked with a grin. "Yeah, I guess I do. So maybe I won't stay in Orange County the whole time. But definitely somewhere in California." Marissa regarded her thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, I could see you staying here," she said, just a tinge of sadness in her voice.  
  
"You, however, wouldn't stay," Summer said. "I could see you in Chicago. No, Chicago suburbs. Some nice, small, Midwestern town where you could go to a good school, get married, start a family, but still be able to go into the city." Out of the corner of her eye, Summer saw Marissa smile.  
  
"You know me so well," she agreed, and they just let it hang there in the air. Even though they were almost seniors, and going through all kinds of junior-year college-prep stuff, they hadn't really talked about what would happen when they had to split up. Theirs was a friendship of opposites; they complemented each other. Summer was bold and outgoing, where Marissa was more subdued. Marissa was usually described as sweet. Summer was usually described as a bitch. Summer wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, whereas Marissa sometimes got walked on without even realizing it. But at the same time, they had things that tied them together - living in Newport, for one. Screwed-up home lives. And an amazing ability to understand. Summer wasn't sure she would ever be able to find someone who got her like Marissa did; accepted her, no questions asked. And no, Cohen didn't count. Speaking of....  
  
"Where do you think Chino will end up?" she asked. Marissa thought about it for a minute.  
  
"Chicago," she answered finally. "He'd want that quiet, Midwestern life, too."  
  
"Not to mention he'd follow you anywhere." Marissa looked down, blushing, but Summer could see the smile on her face. For a second, she was envious. Marissa had that perfect person, that shot at a perfect life. Summer had never been able to see that in the cards for herself. "I see Cohen in New York," she said emotionlessly. "Going to concerts and museums every week, dating some emo chick with pink hair."  
  
"Me too," Marissa said, and Summer pretended not to be hurt by the fact that she was agreeing with this. Marissa saw it anyway, though, and laughed, giving her best friend a nudge. "But," she continued, "I see him coming back. Or you going there. Maybe you'll do the long-distance thing for awhile, maybe you'll break up for awhile. But in the end, neither of you are going to give up. You're both so damn stubborn - I don't think anything could ever truly stand in the way of you two." Summer grinned, and leaned over.  
  
"C'mere, you," she said, giving Marissa a huge bear hug. Marissa laughed as the force of the hug knocked her over sideways, her food spilling on the ground. Both girls giggled, reverting back to third grade for a minute as they just lay there, sprawled out on the sidewalk. They were still laughing and clutching each other when the owner of the 1-hour photo place stepped out of the door, locking it behind him. He gave the girls a look before silently handing them their envelope of pictures and taking off in the opposite direction. It was California, the land of the fruits and the nuts - he'd seen far stranger. Summer grabbed eagerly at the envelope, shoving Marissa off of her and sitting up to rip it open. Marissa sat up behind her, peering over her shoulder as she flipped through the pictures until she came to the one she wanted. The girls exchanged a grin.  
  
School next week was going to rock. 


End file.
